Albuquerque beekeepers gather to talk shop.
Fellow Albuquerque beeks, our first meeting of the season is tomorrow! Get details and RSVP.
State flower of New Mexico | Photo by Eric Ward
Never have I seen so many “whereas” issued on behalf of New Mexico’s pollinator posse. Thanks to one of my personal favorite politicos, Mimi Stewart, publicly-funded places like schools, universities, county and local municipalities are requested to:
Thanks, Mimi! I know who’s getting a fat jar of local honey delivered to her office 😉
And thanks to local bee-appreciator Lexiecom for the tip.
Read the full memorial below. Continue reading
Local beeks are about to be deluged. My girls are carrying pollen by the basketfuls and the nectar flow is just weeks away.
If you, like me, are in need of free bees or want to help with the local swarm pick-up team, add your name: Who Wants to be on the 2010 Swarm List?
Tis the season — restless and cold-weary — to dream up the summer’s homegrown delights. This year, consider adding a few nectar-rich items to your smorgasbord for neighborhood bees.
Bee Balm
Used by Native Americans to brew a tea; replaced black tea during the Boston Tea Party. Citrus-flavored leaves can be minced and added to fruit and used for jellies. Beautiful purplish bracts, 24-30″ tall, aromatic and colorful in fall. Excellent bee forage plant. Hardy perennial in zones 5-9.
Available at SeedSavers
Bee's Friend
Can be used to strongly attract bees to your garden. “Bienen-freund” in German translates as “bee’s friend.” Subtle lavender-blue flowers with curved spikes that are absolutely covered by many different species of bees. Excellent results when used as an annual cover crop. Approximately 16,000 seeds per ounce. Annual, 12–24″ tall.
Available at SeedSavers
Borage
Bushy, fuzzy-leafed plants produce edible 1 in. blue flowers that bees love. Tasty in tea and salads, the flowers also make pretty cake decorations.
Available at SeedsofChange
Cleome
Bees and hummingbirds love this flower! Multi- branched plant produces whorls of pale pink to purple flowers at the top of the stems. Flowers have long protruding stamens, giving a spidery appearance.
Available at SeedsofChange
What have you found attracts bees in the ‘hood?
Soon, beekeepers in New York City may no longer be breaking the law.
After months of prodding from rooftop beekeepers and proponents of community agriculture, the Department of Health on Thursday took the first step toward removing honey bees from a list of animals that residents are prohibited from raising within the five boroughs.
Read more at: http://www.onearth.org/article/nycbees
Poof! Like a hive intent on new horizons, I disappeared this autumn for a long vacation in E. Europe. Some might call it a honeymoon, but my man and I preferred to call it an exploration.
Among the things ingested both visually and orally on our 6 week sabbatical (honeymoon? never!) were these sweet hives at the edge of the primeval Białowieża forest. Technically, they’re not on the protected UNESCO land but rather on the former palace grounds of Polish princes and Russian tsars.
Honeybees at the edge of the Bialowieza Forest in Poland
Though we didn’t see evidence of this hot new beekeeping revival or these sexy little rustic hives on our drives through the country, we saw backyard hives everywhere. Really, everywhere. Tiny villages in the rolling green countryside invariably had at least one local beekeeper selling “miod.”
At Białowieża, we bought honey mixed with propolis which is a thick sour-ish affair that my better half enjoyed deeply.
Mornings like this one, I forget about to-do lists and ten year business plans. I forget too about pesticide kills and chemical-coated produce.
The hum of at least one healthy hive up early for their morning munchies is enough for me.
This week, another local (and longtime) beekeeper was devastated by a massive kill in one of his strongest hives. If only bees could form a class action lawsuit…
This is the first of the bee kill from Sept 9th which continued into today the 10th. I have tried to find out who sprayed what where and will hopefully have some leads tomorrow. This hive WAS three stories with a brand new queen.. WAS… Better Living through Chemistry… .
A massive bee kill in Los Ranchos
Overnight, the Polski Hive seems to have been poisoned and just like last year’s bee massacre in July, it was sudden and excruciating to witness.
Apparently, pesticide poisoning is a neighborhood tradition.
Photo by Joy Godfrey
mistress beek 
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